


Family Ties

by lizzieonawhim



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Constructive Criticism Welcome, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2019-08-17 15:51:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16519457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizzieonawhim/pseuds/lizzieonawhim
Summary: Callum thinks lying is the best way forward. Ezran disagrees, and does something about it.AKA, an AU where Ezran tells Amaya the truth.





	1. Chapter 1

“He says that if we don’t let you go, you’ll kill them and drink their blood. That you are a monster.” Ezran felt his gut twist at the look Rayla gave Callum. Things had gone too far. “It’s okay, Callum. I’ve slain monsters before. Do it. Take her out.”

“No!” Ezran bolted forward and stopped in front of Rayla, arms outstretched. “Stop! Don’t hurt her!” Amaya held up a hand and the archers held their fire.

“Ezran, move out of the way.” Gren’s voice was steady as he interpreted Amaya’s firm motions.

“No, wait, you have to listen. Callum’s lying. Rayla’s not a monster, she’s our friend.”

“Ezran, what are you doing,” Callum said in that weird way he had when he was trying to keep Aunt Amaya from reading his lips.

“Callum, if we can’t trust Aunt Amaya, we can’t trust anybody,” said Ezran. He made eye contact with Amaya and went on, “Aunt Amaya, I promise we can explain everything. But you have to promise not to hurt our friend.”

Amaya gave Ezran a long, considering look, then looked at Callum, who chuckled nervously. Last of all, she looked at Rayla and said, “Put down your weapons and we’ll talk.”

“Uhh--”

“Just do as she says,” said Ezran. “I won’t let her hurt you.”

“But -- that’s General Amaya,” said Rayla, eyes wide with fear. “The Silent Avalanche. The Terror of the Breach. Every elf knows if you’re facing her, you’re as good as dead already.”

Amaya narrowed her eyes and repeated, “Weapons down, or we shoot.”

“Uhh, I think you should listen to her, Rayla,” said Callum. After a long moment, Ezran heard the sound of her blades hitting the dirt. Amaya lowered her hand, and the archers lowered their bows.

“Wow,” said Callum as their formidable aunt strode forward, Commander Gren a half step behind. A moment later, they were all swarmed with soldiers. “I can’t believe that worked.”

“And _I_ can’t believe _you’re_ such a jerk,” Rayla retorted. “Ow, hey!” Ezran looked back just in time to see a pair of soldiers wrench Rayla’s arms behind her back.

“Hey!” Ezran protested as Amaya knelt in front of him and licked a thumb to rub some dirt off his face. “What are you doing? You promised!”

“I promised not to hurt her,” signed Amaya. “I never said I would trust her.” Her gaze shifted to the soldiers now flanking Rayla. “Put her in the basement, but this time, _don’t_ let her get ahold of her weapons.” Her flat look of disapproval could have shriveled a tree. The two soldiers winced, then snapped out salutes and led Rayla away. Amaya returned her attention to Ezran, brushed a speck of dirt off his shoulder, and gave him an approving nod, then moved on to Callum.

“Uhh, hey Aunt Amaya,” said Callum, with a nervous laugh. She examined him for injuries, then gave him a disapproving look that was almost as bad as the one she’d given her soldiers.

“You have a lot of explaining to do, young man,” she told him sternly. Callum winced. “Inside, both of you. We’ll talk in the dining room.” With that, Amaya marched the two of them back into the house.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Callum muttered. Ezran didn’t answer. This was Aunt Amaya, who used to take them on hikes to good vantage points so Callum could draw landscapes and give Ezran rides on her shoulders so he could talk to the butterflies. She was _family._ Callum would see.

Back in the Lodge, Amaya sat the two of them down at the dining room table, just as she had the day before. This time, before she joined them, she conducted a thorough search of the room, digging through every nook and cranny to make sure nothing was there, no matter how small or unlikely a hiding place it might be. Ezran tried not to fidget while she did this; he had a feeling impatience would not be greeted warmly at this point. Next to him, Callum bounced his leg, but likewise said nothing. Finally, Amaya came back to the table and sat across from them with a stern look on her face.

"Explain,” she signed.

“First, I have something to show you,” Ezran said, and reached for his bag. Callum made a noise of protest, but Ezran ignored him, pulled out the egg, and as carefully as he could, heaved it up onto the table. Gren and Amaya’s faces went slack with shock.

“That's a dragon egg.” Gren’s voice was full of wonder as he interpreted. Ezran wasn't sure, but he thought maybe that wonder was a little bit Gren’s own, not just on behalf of Amaya.

“It's not just any egg,” said Ezran. “It's the Dragon King’s egg. Viren hid it but we found it and now we're trying to get it back to Xadia so we can give it back to its mother and end the war.” Gren and Amaya exchanged a startled glance.

“I think you’d better start from the beginning,” Amaya said gently. So Ezran did. Amaya watched his lips intently as he told her about finding the secret passage in the dungeons and figuring out how to get in. She didn't ask how he’d known it was there, which Ezran was glad about; he’d never told anyone about his ability to talk to animals before, mostly because he didn't know how to explain it in a way that they'd believe. He'd tried to tell Callum once. It hadn't gone well. Apart from that, the only thing Ezran sort of glossed over was how exactly they met Rayla. He tried to make it seem like they’d just run into her by accident when she got separated from the other elves. Bad enough that she’d been there to kill the king; Ezran thought Amaya would be even more mad if she knew Rayla had intended to kill _him._ Every once in a while Amaya would frown and hold up a hand, and Ezran would stop and wait while she looked to Gren for an interpretation, but other than that she didn't interrupt.

“...So then we came to the Banther Lodge and Rayla went inside to get the cube, but then you showed up so we tried to find Rayla and get away, but it didn’t really work so now we’re here,” Ezran finished, and sucked in a breath. Man, that was a lot of talking!

Amaya leaned back in her chair as she considered this. She looked over at Gren. The two of them did that thing where they had a whole conversation with their faces, then Amaya looked back at Callum and Ezran.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Her face was soft as her hands moved. Their motions lacked some of their usual force.

“Callum said it wouldn’t work because humans and elves don’t trust each other,” said Ezran. “But _I_ trust _you._ ”

Amaya blinked and jerked back a little, glancing at Callum. Gren looked at her with concern and sympathy. Her face was a mask of calm as she stood and signed, “It’s getting late. You boys should be heading to bed. Ezran, thank you for telling me the truth.”

“Are you going to help us?” Callum blurted.

Amaya looked a little sad. “Yes, Callum,” she said. “We will help you return the egg to Xadia.” Ezran started to cheer; Amaya held up a hand. “But boys, I want you to be prepared for the possibility that this may not end the way you want. Thunder and his egg were only the latest in a long line of wrongs on both sides of this war. We will return it, but it may not change anything.”

“Yes, Aunt Amaya,” Ezran said dutifully; then, “Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!” He placed the egg carefully back in its carrying sack, then raced around the table to latch his arms around his aunt’s waist in a hug. He felt her laugh as she returned it briefly, then gently detached him.

“Bed,” she signed firmly. “Now. Take the egg with you. We’ll talk more in the morning. Your usual rooms have been prepared.”

“Come on, Ezran,” Callum said quietly. He was already at the door.

“Okay. Good night, Aunt Amaya!” With that, Ezran happily followed Callum out of the kitchen. As he glanced back, the last thing he saw before the door swung closed was Amaya sitting down at the table and dropping her head into her hands.

* * *

Amaya saw a flicker of motion from the corner of her eye as Gren took a seat next to her. He didn’t raise his hands, only watched her gently. After years serving at Amaya’s side, he knew her well enough to know that she would speak when she was ready. After a long moment, she raised her head and signed, “So this is what they were hiding.”

“Much more exciting than a pet squirrel,” Gren signed back. Amaya let out a huff of laughter.

“Yes.” Then she sighed. “The egg of the dragon prince. Of all the things.”

“Do you think the King knew?”

Amaya thought about it, then shook her head. “No. King Harrow was many things, but he was no kidnapper.”

“Then Lord Viren acted alone.”

“I believe so, yes.” They were both still for a moment; then Gren raised his hands again.

“What are you going to do about the coronation?”

Amaya clenched her fists as she remembered the contents of the letter she had received earlier that day, while her soldiers were still replacing the hinges on the doors. To have held the king’s funeral pyre while his sons were still missing was a grave enough transgression, but to take the throne that rightfully belonged to Ezran without making even a token attempt at finding him or Callum was beyond the pale. Then she forced herself to relax.

“Nothing,” she said, though she burned with anger at the injustice of it. “Protecting the princes is our first priority. We must return with them to the Breach, where we can defend them with the full strength of the Standing Battalion.”

Gren nodded. “And the egg?”

“We’ll run up a truce flag and begin negotiations. With any luck, we can at least manage to get a ceasefire out of it, though who knows if those damned elves will honor it.”

Gren frowned. “The princes won’t like that approach.”

“The princes are children still. I will not risk my sister’s sons on a fool’s errand.” Amaya’s shoulders slumped. “They’re all I have left of her.” Gren’s whole face softened. Before he could try to say something comforting (which he was very good at but Amaya wasn’t in the mood), she changed the subject. “Callum doesn’t trust me.”

Gren frowned. “I’m sure that’s not true.”

Amaya gave him a flat look. “He thought pretending to be abducted was a better option than telling me the truth.” Gren winced. “Have I really been such a terrible aunt? I know I’m not around very much.” Gren looked thoughtful, which Amaya appreciated. She was looking for an honest appraisal here, not unconditional support.

“I don’t think it’s you,” he said after a moment. “I think there’s something else going on with him. You know, besides the obvious.”

“The obvious, yes.” Amaya heaved a sigh, suddenly feeling quite a bit older than her thirty-four years. “Gren, how am I going to tell them about the king?”

There was a long moment of stillness, during which the only movement was the flickering of shadows in the torchlight. Then Gren -- Gren the gentle, Gren the good-hearted, Gren who always knew the right thing to say -- shook his head and said, “I don’t know.”

Amaya closed her eyes against the tears that wanted to come, then opened them and said, “I was supposed to protect them from this.”

“Amaya, this isn’t your fault.”

“I am the General of the Standing Battalion. Anything that gets past the Breach on my watch is my responsibility.”

“That’s nonsense,” Gren said, frowning at her. “You’re not a goddess, Amaya. You can’t be everywhere at once.”

“I don’t need to be everywhere, I only need to be at the Breach. It was my sworn duty to protect this country and I failed. Now our country has no king, my nephews have no father, and I haven’t even had a chance to tell them because they’re bound and determined to team up with one of his murderers to return the heir to a kingdom that tried to slaughter ours.” She gave Gren a sharp look. “Surely you noticed the elf-girl’s binding.” Very few understood the significance of the binding ceremony that was sometimes performed by Moonshadow elves before they pursued their targets. Fewer still knew what happened if the conditions of the binding were not fulfilled. Personally, Amaya thought it rather impractical to risk losing a limb every time you failed to eliminate a target, but then, Moonshadow elves rarely failed.

“I did. You truly believe Ezran was their second target?”

“Who else would it be?”

“Perhaps Lord Viren. He did kill Thunder, and des-- kidnap the egg.”

Amaya shook her head. “No. That’s not how Moonshadow elves think. When an enemy takes something of theirs, they take that same thing from their enemy, or the closest thing they can manage. Something to do with… balance, I suppose. Symmetry.” Her lip curled. “And never mind if that means an innocent must die for the crimes of another.”

“The egg was an innocent as well,” Gren pointed out, though his face looked pained as he did.

“And how does that justify it?” Amaya demanded. “Killing the egg -- even taking it -- was wrong. I do not deny that. You know I have never agreed with Viren’s methods.” Gren nodded. “But to kill a child -- to bind _another child_ to kill that child…” Amaya shook her head. “It is beyond understanding.”

“There is much evil in this war,” Gren agreed.

“Yes.” Amaya cast her eyes up towards the princes’ bedroom, as if she could look through walls and floors to see them safe and sound. “If only I could shelter them from it for just a little longer.”

Gren touched her shoulder, and she looked over at him as he signed, “It’s late, and it’s been a long day. You should get some rest. We can deal with all this in the morning.”

Amaya smiled crookedly at him. “Yes, I suppose it will keep until then.” She stood and stretched, feeling the bones in her back pop as she did. Gren made a face as he stood.

“I wish you wouldn’t do that.” Amaya tilted her head questioningly. “Crack your back like that. It sounds… unpleasant. I know I’ve explained this to you before.”

Amaya grinned, unrepentant. “Yes, you have. I just like the face you make.” Gren pouted; Amaya patted his cheek. “Goodnight, Commander Gren.”

Then she turned away, and so missed Gren’s fond smile as he signed at her back, “Goodnight, Amaya.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boring title is boring, but that's life sometimes. Might continue this eventually. Haven't fully decided yet. Let me know what you think in the comments!
> 
> OH right I wanted to address my approach to the ASL. So the way I look at it, ASL is a language, right? Just like Italian, or French, or Spanish, or Chinese. And if I intended my characters to be speaking one of those languages, I wouldn't translate word-for-word, leaving the grammatical structure of the original language in place, I would translate the overall intent of what they were saying. So that's what I did here. Also I don't know enough ASL to directly write dialogue in it. I hope that's okay. Other approaches are also valid, this is just the approach I took.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which no one is having a good time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special shout out to my BFF cakeandpi on tumblr, who looked this over and reassured me when I was feeling doubtful (and caught some errors, which I was also grateful for). Also a shout out to Ennarcia, whose comments about where Rayla was going to sleep got my brain headed in the right direction.

Amaya told the boys after breakfast.

It was worse, somehow, than she had imagined. Amaya was no stranger to being the bearer of bad news, but over the years, it had never gotten easier. Long experience as a general in a war that never seemed to end told her that she would never forget the way Ezran’s face crumpled and Callum’s went slack with shock and disbelief. As she gathered the weeping princes into her arms, Amaya felt her hatred for the elves grow. Hadn’t her family suffered enough?

Amaya wished they could have stayed at the Lodge and allowed the princes time to grieve in peace, but the revelation of the egg and Viren’s treasonous grab for the throne made it imperative that they reach the Standing Battalion as quickly as possible. The power Viren had at his command had always made Amaya uneasy; it was too much for a single person. Amaya had a great deal of power herself, but the difference was that there were commands she could give that would not be obeyed. Viren’s magic would always do his bidding, no matter how selfish or irrational it may be, and even the King of the Dragons could not stand against it.

It was a somber party that set out for the Breach. The boys rode Amaya’s remount, a placid gelding named Bandit who would give Callum little trouble and whose sturdy build allowed him to carry both boys with ease. They were still and red-eyed, Ezran turning his head to stare at the ground while Callum looked ahead in a vacant way that made Amaya very certain he was not perceiving the road ahead. Luckily, good old Bandit was sensible, as horses went. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would follow along in formation without doing anything more rebellious than try to snatch a mouthful of grass every now and again.

As they rode, Amaya occasionally caught one of the two princes glancing back to where the elf girl walked along behind Corvus’s horse with her hands bound. It made her heart ache even more. From the story Ezran had told, they had clearly believed they were becoming friends with the girl. It was part of why Amaya had put her in Corvus’s charge: she knew he would not be unnecessarily cruel. Many of her soldiers bore deep personal grudges against the elves, and while Corvus was certainly not without his burdens, he was not the sort to let them bubble to the surface in a situation like this. Amaya had no desire to upset her nephews further by letting someone more careless take charge of their “friend.”

The sun was nearly at its apex when Ezran abruptly lifted his head and said, “Bandit’s tired.”

Amaya, who hadn’t turned her head in time to see, looked to Gren for an interpretation. When he had finished, she raised her eyebrows. While it was true that it was getting to be time to eat and rest their mounts, she hadn’t expected either of the boys to pick up on those sorts of details, especially not today. She must have looked disbelieving, because Ezran looked a little defensive. Before he could speak, Amaya took a hand off the reins and signed, “There’s a large clearing up ahead where we can stop for lunch. We passed it on the way here.” She paused, then added, “Thank you for telling me, Ezran.” Ezran nodded and looked back at the ground. Amaya sighed and exchanged a glance with Gren, but there was nothing to say. They continued on.

The company stopped for lunch in the clearing, as promised. Once the boys had dismounted, Amaya made it a point to go check on Bandit, figuring that if a grieving ten-year-old could tell he was tired, it must be bad. To her surprise, he was in fine shape, a little tired but no worse off than she had expected after giving him two inexperienced riders to carry. Amaya frowned, puzzled, then shrugged it off. Ezran had always had a way with animals. Maybe that was all it was.

As she turned back to her own mount, Amaya caught sight of Callum talking to the elf-girl under the shade of an oak tree. She stiffened, reaching for her sword on impulse, then forced herself to relax. The elf would be a fool to try anything here, surrounded by soldiers, with her hands bound and her weapons hanging from Amaya’s own belt. All the same, Amaya kept her eyes on them as they spoke, ready to act if necessary. The two were too far away to read their lips, but Amaya saw the elf girl’s eyes widen and then lower at whatever Callum said to her. He seemed to take that as all the response he needed, and turned away. The elf girl looked up in desperation and said something; Callum paused briefly, but didn’t say anything as he returned to where Ezran sat on the other side of the clearing, nibbling halfheartedly on some trail rations.

Amaya looked back at the elf girl and was surprised to see a look of genuine distress on her face as she watched Callum go. Then the elf looked around and saw Amaya looking at her. Her expression shifted briefly into discomfort before settling into a sullen glare. Amaya turned away, uncomfortable, and busied herself with seeing to her mare Daisy. It made her gut twist in an unpleasant way to see that kind of vulnerability on the face of an enemy. For a moment, the elf-girl had almost seemed… human.

The rest of the day passed without incident. To Amaya’s surprise, neither of the boys complained about the long hours of riding, though she could see their legs wobbling whenever the company stopped for breaks. All the same, she made sure to stop often, knowing it would not get them to the Breach any faster if the boys fell off their horse tomorrow. As a result, it was past dark by the time they made it to the first town along the way. This town had a small jail that typically stood empty, which Amaya immediately commandeered to house the elf. As she was setting up watches, she felt a pull at her sleeve and looked down to see Ezran looking up at her.

“Can’t--” he said a word Amaya didn’t recognize, which she realized must be the elf’s name “--stay with us? She’s our friend, and she didn’t do anything.”

Amaya bit back the visceral horror she felt at the thought of letting an elf near her nephews while they slept. She knelt down to converse with Ezran at eye level. “Ezran, I know this may be difficult for you to understand, but the elf--” Ezran interrupted to say her name again, emphatically. Amaya looked at Gren, who spelled out R-A-Y-L-A. “Rayla,” she repeated, trying not to show her discomfort, “is dangerous.”

“She’s not dangerous,” Ezran protested. “She helped us get the--” Amaya held a finger to her lips, looking around quickly to see if anyone was nearby. Amaya had been assigning the graveyard shift when Ezran interrupted; a little ways away, she saw Lieutenants Dirk and Avis playing rock-paper-scissors for it while they tried to pretend they weren’t eavesdropping. “She helped us get out of the castle,” Ezran corrected himself. “And we were alone in the woods together all night and she didn’t hurt us or do anything bad. Why do we have to lock her up?”

“Humans and elves have been at war for a long time,” Amaya said. “Just because she seems nice doesn’t mean we can trust her.”

“But she wants peace as much as we do.”

Amaya held back a bitter smile. “Maybe so,” she said. “But I won’t take any chances with your safety, or Callum’s.”

Ezran drew himself up to his full height -- all four feet, ten inches of it. “As king, I order you to let Rayla sleep in the inn with us.”

This time, Amaya did smile. She couldn’t help it; he was so cute. “First lesson of kingship, my liege,” she told him. “Never give an order you know will not be obeyed. Now go wash up for supper. I’ll be along shortly.” Unable to resist, she ruffled his hair and stood. “Now,” she signed to the waiting soldiers, “About that second shift.”

* * *

Callum looked over from where he lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, as Ezran stormed into the room they were sharing for the night. “Hey Ez,” he said hoarsely. “What’s wr--” Stupid question. He swallowed that one down. “What's up?”

“Aunt Amaya won't let Rayla stay in the inn, even after I ordered her to,” Ezran fumed. 

Callum wasn’t prepared for the sudden tide of hurt and anger that swelled within him at Rayla’s name. He tried his best to keep it out of his face and voice as he said carefully, “Well, she is an elf.”

“So what? She’s our friend! She helped us! And now she’s spending the night in jail for doing the right thing and Aunt Amaya won’t listen to me even though I’m king.” Callum couldn’t help smiling a little at Ezran’s indignance, which made the younger boy scowl harder. “It’s not funny, Callum. This is wrong.” Immediately, Callum wiped the smile from his face and sat up.

“Ezran, maybe Rayla isn’t who we thought she was.”

“Well, duh! We’ve only known her for, like, two days.”

“No, Ez, I mean--” Callum took a deep breath. “Rayla, she… she knew. About Dad.” That stopped Ezran dead in his tracks. He stared at Callum, wide-eyed.

“And she didn’t tell us?” Callum shook his head. “Why not?”

“I don’t know,” Callum said quietly. Ezran seemed to absorb this for a moment. Then his face hardened.

“She still doesn’t deserve to sleep in a cell,” said Ezran.

“Ezran, I know this may be difficult to understand--”

“Now you sound just like Aunt Amaya! Maybe you were right. Maybe we shouldn’t have told her about the egg.”

Callum felt a pang in his chest. “Ez--”

“Ugh, never mind. I thought you’d understand, but I guess not. I’m going down to dinner.” With that, Ezran stormed out.

Dinner that night was an awkward affair. News of the king’s death had spread; Callum could feel it in the whispers and stares directed at Ezran and himself from the locals as they passed through the tavern on the way to Amaya’s room, where they would be dining. Most were pitying; some were speculative, and many of the looks directed Ezran’s way were filled with doubt. Ezran, for his part, stared stonily down at his feet. Callum made a few half-hearted attempts throughout dinner to get him to look up or say something, but as each effort was met with cold silence, he lapsed into silence as well.

“I’m not hungry,” Ezran announced at last, and before anyone could stop him, he pushed his chair back from the small table the staff had brought up for them and left. Callum made to go after him, but Aunt Amaya held up a hand.

“Let him go,” she said, with Gren interpreting. “I have soldiers stationed throughout the town to keep an eye on things. He’ll be perfectly safe.” 

Callum hesitated, but even through his own hurt feelings, he knew that Ezran was right. Rayla had helped them retrieve the egg and gotten them out of the castle, even going against her own people to do it. In the face of that, the least Callum could do was stand up to his aunt.

“Ezran says you won’t let Rayla sleep in the inn,” he said. Amaya’s face hardened.

“Callum, I understand that you and Ezran believe she is your friend. However--”

“She is our friend,” Callum interrupted. “She helped us rescue the egg--”

“The egg is of great importance to Xadia, especially following the death of the King of the Dragons. It’s not surprising that she would cooperate in its rescue.”

“But--”

“Callum.” The worry and sternness in Amaya’s eyes made Callum feel like a little kid again, sick at the Banther Lodge and wanting to go play in the snow. “I’ve been guarding this kingdom against Xadia for a long time. I know Xadians better than most, so believe me when I say that you cannot trust a Moonshadow elf. Their ways are strange, and their reasons for doing things are often incomprehensible. Even their own self-interest is not enough to ensure their cooperation. They are dangerous, Callum. The elf girl will remain in the town jail, under guard, and that is final.”

Callum wanted to argue further, but the iron glint in his aunt’s eye told him it was pointless. “Okay.” He looked down at his plate.

“It’s for your own good, Callum,” he heard Gren say in his Amaya voice. Callum nodded, but didn’t look up. The meal continued in silence. From time to time, he glimpsed movement from across the table and knew Amaya and Gren were signing to each other, but Callum kept his eyes resolutely down. He finished his meal in record time.

“May I be excused?” he asked. Amaya waited for an interpretation, then nodded.

“Stay within the town walls,” she said.

“Yes, Aunt Amaya,” Callum said dutifully, and headed off towards the jail. As he approached, he saw a young man in a leather jerkin standing outside, looking anxious.

“Hey, is my brother in there?” Callum asked. The soldier jumped a little. 

“Uh -- the young king left orders not to be disturbed,” he said in a voice that was clearly meant to be stern and official. The effect was ruined somewhat by a nervous tremor in his tone.

“Uhh, okay,” said Callum. “I’m his big brother, though, so if you could just...”

“He said that you especially were not to be allowed in.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I’m afraid I am. King Ezran charged me with ensuring his privacy, and that is what I will do.”

“But I just want to talk to him.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let anyone through.”

Callum was just opening his mouth to argue further when the two of them heard a soft voice say, “Callum?”

“Ezran?” said Callum. Sure enough, Ezran stood in the doorway behind the soldier with Bait in his arms, watching the two of them with wary eyes.

“Are you here to apologize?”

“Yeah, I am,” Callum said, and knelt down to Ezran’s level. “You were right, Ez. I’m sorry for being a jerkface. Rayla was trying to help us, and she doesn’t deserve any of this.”

Ezran examined him suspiciously for a long moment, then nodded. “He can come in,” he told the soldier, who gave him a small bow.

“As you wish, my liege,” the soldier said, and moved out of the way. Callum stepped carefully past him, unnerved by this display, and followed Ezran into the jail. There were four cells, all empty except for the one in the far corner. Rayla looked up as they walked in; her eyes widened.

“Callum,” she said, standing up as he approached. “Are you -- I mean--”

“He’s here to apologize,” said Ezran, giving Callum a stern look. Rayla blinked.

“Apologize?”

“Yeah,” said Callum. “Rayla, I don’t know how much Ezran told you, but I’m really sorry. For all of it.”

“What? No, I should be the one apologizing. I should’ve told you the truth. I’m sorry.”

Callum felt a sharp ache at her words, but this time he took a deep breath before asking, “Why didn’t you?”

“I -- I guess I was afraid,” Rayla said. “Our mission was so important. We could’ve ended the war before it began, maybe even brought lasting peace between elves and humans. I was afraid you’d be so angry, you’d…”

“That we’d keep the egg?” Callum asked softly.

“Wha -- no! I thought you’d send me away.” Rayla clenched her fists. “I have to be part of this. I _have_ to. And I thought -- if you knew my people had -- I thought you’d be so angry, you wouldn’t let me help.”

“Why would we be angry at you for something you didn’t do?” said Ezran.

“Because I’m an elf, and that’s the way things are between elves and humans,” Rayla said.

“Well, it’s not how things are going to be between us,” said Callum. “From now on, it doesn’t matter who’s a human or who’s an elf. Or a glowtoad,” he added, as Bait made a grumpy noise at being left out. “What matters is that we’re in this together, and one way or another, we’re going to get the egg back to Xadia.” They all smiled at each other for a moment. Then Rayla frowned.

“Wait a minute, you called me a bloodthirsty monster.”

Callum blinked. “Wait, what?”

“You kind of did,” Ezran said.

“Wh -- wait, you mean last night? With the archers and everything?”

“Uhh, yeah,” Rayla said. “You told them I was going to drink your blood. How does _that_ fit in with your whole friendship-and-trust thing?”

“Oh,” said Callum. “Well -- but I didn’t actually mean any of that stuff. I was just trying to scare them.”

“Oh, well that went well,” Rayla retorted. “They tried to kill me!” She tried to cross her arms, then seemed to realize her hands were still tied and turned away in a huff.

“It was pretty stupid to try and scare _Aunt Amaya,_ ” said Ezran. “Have you _ever_ seen her scared?”

“No, I -- I guess not,” Callum said. “I’m sorry, Rayla. I shouldn’t have said those things.”

“No, you shouldn’t have,” said Rayla. “And if you ever do it again, you can forget about us being friends.”

“Sounds fair,” said Callum. He hesitated, then added, “I’m… sorry about all this, too. Our Aunt Amaya can be pretty intense.”

“She’s just trying to protect you,” Rayla said grudgingly. “If it’d been Runaan in her place, I’d be dead already.”

“We won’t let that happen,” said Ezran. “You helped us, and we’re going to figure out a way to help you. Right, Callum?”

“That’s right,” Callum said. The three of them shared a smile.

The moment was short-lived as the door to the jail slammed open with a loud crash. All three kids winced in unison as Amaya strode in. She stopped a few feet away and examined them for a moment. Her eyes lingered first on Ezran, then Callum, then went to Rayla and narrowed. Finally, she raised her hands to sign.

“It’s almost bedtime.” Callum jumped a little as Gren spoke; he’d been so preoccupied with his aunt, he hadn’t even noticed her trusty lieutenant trailing along as usual. “Let’s get you two back to the inn.”

“Bedtime?” Ezran scrunched up his nose. “But we just had dinner.”

“Morning comes early when you travel with soldiers. Come along.”

“Just go, I’ll be fine,” Rayla hissed when Callum opened his mouth to argue. He shut it and blinked.

“Are you sure?” he muttered, trying to move his lips as little as possible. Aunt Amaya gave him a scolding look.

“Yes, I’m sure. I’ve slept in worse places. Probably. I think. Go.” Faced with that, Callum couldn’t really argue.

“Okay,” he muttered, a little resentfully. “Bye Rayla.”

“Bye Rayla,” Ezran echoed. He picked up Bait, and the four humans left the jail.

Outside, Amaya paused and turned to the soldier who had let Callum and Ezran in. He snapped to attention. Amaya looked him over for a long moment that dragged on excruciatingly.

“Corvus,” she signed at last. The soldier snapped to attention.

“Yes, General?”

“I’ll be sending a replacement for this evening’s guard shift, since you are clearly too tired to think straight.” His shoulders relaxed slightly. Amaya added, “And you’ll be on latrine duty for two weeks once we return to the Breach, for your lack of judgment.”

Corvus winced. “Y-yes, General.”

“That will be all.” Amaya turned away and strode towards the inn, Gren keeping pace easily. Callum and Ezran hurried to catch up. Once they were almost there, she stopped and turned to the two of them.

“Perhaps I was not clear,” she said. “The elf girl is dangerous. I do not want you associating with her any further.”

“What?” Ezran and Callum said in unison.

“But Rayla’s our friend!” said Ezran.

“Aunt Amaya, that’s not fair,” Callum added.

“I am not concerned with what is fair. What I am concerned with is securing your safety. The elf girl will be returned to her people along with the egg, assuming that all goes according to plan. Until then, you will stay away from her and she from you, or there will be consequences. Do I make myself clear?”

“But Aunt Amaya--”

“Do I make myself clear?” she repeated, then folded her arms across her chest and stared the two of them down until both boys muttered their grudging assent. “Good. Now head to bed. I meant it when I said morning comes early for soldiers.”

“Yes, Aunt Amaya,” Callum said glumly. Ezran just crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the dirt. Callum gave him a gentle nudge. “Come on, Ezran. Let’s go.” Reluctantly, Ezran followed him inside.

It was when Callum closed the door to their room behind them that the dam burst. First one sniffle, then another, and then Ezran was standing in the middle of the room with his shoulders shaking, fists clenched, staring at the floor while tears flowed down his cheeks.

“Oh, Ez,” Callum said softly. He knelt down and wrapped Ezran up in a hug.

“It’s not fair,” Ezran sobbed. “Dad is dead and Rayla’s a prisoner and none of this is fair!”

“I know.”

“I thought Aunt Amaya was gonna be on our side but she’s not and it’s horrible and Rayla’s in jail and we’re not allowed to talk to her and all of this is my fault and--”

“Hey hey hey, no, don’t say that,” said Callum, pulling back to look at him. “You didn’t know this was going to happen.”

“But if I hadn’t told Aunt Amaya the truth--”

“Then Rayla might be dead for all we know,” Callum reminded him. “My plan was kind of terrible, remember?”

Ezran sniffled. “I guess.”

“No, we agreed. All of us, just now. My plan was terrible. It would’ve been a miracle if it had worked. You got everyone out of that alive, Ez.”

“Then why does it feel like I betrayed Rayla and ruined everything?”

“Sometimes we feel like things are our fault when they’re not,” said Callum. “You did a good thing, even if it doesn’t feel like it.”

Ezran digested that for a moment, shoulders still shaking with quiet sobs. Finally, he whispered, “I miss Dad.”

Callum’s breath hitched. “Yeah. Me, too.”

This time, when they embraced, Ezran wasn’t the only one crying.

* * *

Lieutenant Zev saluted as Amaya approached the town jail. She replied with a nod and went inside. The elf girl was curled up in the far corner, apparently sleeping, but sprang to her feet as Amaya entered. Amaya noted this with revulsion.

The elf’s eyes widened, then narrowed. “What are you doing here?”

“I know your game, elf.” It was only through iron force of will that Amaya kept her hands from shaking. “I’ve seen your kind before. They train up children to bear arms and send them into battle, trusting in their apparent youth to stay our hands. And it did. Once.”

The elf looked shocked. “We don’t--”

“I’m not finished.” The elf’s mouth snapped shut. “You may have the princes fooled, but I know better. Your kind are nothing but killers, every last one of you, from the moment you’re born. I have spared your life for the princes’ sake, but if you harm them -- if you so much as look at them wrong -- I will not hesitate to put you down like the rabid dog you are.” The elf girl’s eyes were wide with fear. Amaya felt grim satisfaction at the sight. “Do we have an understanding, elf?” The elf nodded. “Good. Keep quiet and stay away from the princes and you will be returned to your people safely. Otherwise…” Amaya gave her a meaningful look and turned to go.

“You know, none of this would have happened if humans hadn’t stolen the egg.” Gren’s hands moved quickly as he interpreted for the elf while Amaya’s back was turned. “What kind of monsters would just steal a little egg from its nest like that?”

Amaya whirled. “You came here to kill a child.” The elf opened her mouth to speak, but Amaya cut her off. “I know what that binding on your wrist means, and I know what happens if your oath goes unfulfilled. So don’t lecture me about monsters, elf. The egg yet lives. If you hadn’t stumbled across it, would Prince Ezran?”

“It -- it was justice,” the elf said, but she looked unsure.

“It was vengeance,” said Amaya. “A cruel, petty vengeance that would have slain an innocent for the crimes of another. Stay away from the princes. I will not tell you again.” With that, she turned and stalked out of the jail.

As they turned back towards the inn, Gren signed, “Was that really necessary?”

“Yes,” Amaya said shortly. Gren’s hands began to move again; she stopped and turned to face him. “Gren, I will not risk the lives of our people any more than I must. Just by keeping her alive, we’re risking far more than we should.” She took a deep, shaky breath. “You know what happened last time.”

“I don’t think this is like last time,” Gren replied. “There’s something different about this one. She’s not like Taerlin.”

Amaya thought of the hurt look on the elf-girl’s face as Callum turned his back earlier that day. “Maybe so,” she admitted grudgingly. “But I won’t take any chances. Our people’s safety is the most important thing, especially with the princes here. I’d fight a thousand wars before I let her hurt those boys.”

“But wouldn’t it be wonderful if you didn’t have to fight any?” said Gren.

Amaya heaved a sigh. “It would,” she agreed, “but I'm not holding my breath.”

"I'm not asking you to. I just think you should keep in mind the possibility that this Rayla really does want peace."

Amaya rolled her eyes. "Very well. I will keep in mind the vague, distant possibility that an assassin sent to kill the king and heir of Katolis really wants peace after all, despite all evidence to the contrary. Happy?"

"Very, thank you." Gren gave her a big, cheerful smile, bright even in the darkness. Amaya shook her head at him.

"You know, one of these days, that trusting nature of yours is going to get you in trouble."

"But that's what I have you for," Gren said, and for all that he was teasing, there was a light of sincerity in his eyes that made Amaya's breath catch and her mind go momentarily blank. Gren didn't seem to notice. He yawned. "Well, I think it's about time for bed, don't you?"

"Yes," Amaya agreed. As they went inside, she refrained from saying what she was thinking:  _it might get me in trouble, too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #LetBoysBeSoft2k19
> 
> So... yeah. Difficult chapter all around, but I tried to lighten the mood where I could.
> 
> Please leave comments! Your speculations make me speculate, which leads me to more ideas, which leads to more writing. In other words, comments may be the difference between me finishing this story before we all die of old age, and me........... not doing that XD not on purpose or anything, it's just really hard to make the words go.


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